Service bureaus, corporations, financial institutions,

healthcare and government entities and other organiza-

tions involved in converting microfilm images into digital

files are continually challenged to deliver high-quality

images. This is often difficult when microform (micro-

film, microfiche or aperture cards) collections: a) haven’t

been stored properly; b) were created over many

decades by many vendors or in-house processing labs;

and/or c) were not filmed or processed under conditions

meeting acceptable industry standards. Additionally,

clients expect the value that comes with production

efficiency. We are fortunate to be in an industry where

emerging technology allows these challenges to be

met – often far beyond expectations. This paper will

discuss the Mekel Technology brand of microfilm and

microfiche scanners, featuring several organizations that

have found them to offer a competitive advantage over

other solutions in the market.

In an era where many practitioners of today’s digital im-

aging technologies have never experienced microfilm, it

may seem archaic to discuss bringing microform images

back to life. The fact is that there are billions of images

stored on microform. Why? Because – with an estimated

life span of 500 years when stored properly – microfilm

was and still is the most reliable preservation medium.

by Bob ZagamiPrincipal Consultant, IMAGAZ by ZAGAMI

Delivering consistent quality images with every roll, every microfiche and every aperture card scanned

MEKEL TECHNOLOGY MICROFILM SCANNERS

Even today, microfilm is included as part of many com-

prehensive compliance and disaster recovery plans.

These stored images contain everything from historical

collections such as newspaper and personal archives

to important membership, financial, land and health

records to engineering and architectural renderings

and more. While some may not have value to today’s

audience, others contain incredibly important informa-

tion or enlightening historical reference materials that

merit digital sharing or public access. The digitization

process demands technology that can create images for

importation into ever-changing line-of-business software

systems, dedicated ECM and other document manage-

ment solutions.

Engineering Evolution

In 1989, Mekel Technology introduced the first com-

mercial microfilm scanner to the market, followed by

the first auto-load microfiche scanner in 1991. In 2003,

the firm was acquired by The Crowley Company, which

sells analog and digital hardware and also uses them in

their own service bureau, Crowley Imaging. The pur-

chase of Mekel Technology added a manufacturing arm

to the company and the original products have been

completely re-engineered into today’s market-leading

MACH-series scanners. The daily use of these scanners

by Crowley Imaging employees allows for continuous

improvement as the service bureau reflects the same

operating environment as other Mekel Technology cli-

ents. The focus is always on image quality, speed, ease-

of-use, superior build quality and – ultimately – reducing

the overall cost to scan.

It is typically a professional document conversion

service bureau that is given the responsibility of con-

ducting large-scale conversions of legacy information

from microfilm. When security or other factors prevent

organizations from outsourcing, an entity may elect to

operate their own scanning department. Service provid-

ers – bureaus or in-house departments – can purchase

Mekel microfilm scanning equipment that offers the

latest technology. The MACH-series scanners ship with

QuantumScan™ and QuantumProcess™ – Mekel’s ded-

icated software that can provide the images and data to

exceed expectations.

The Scanners

The technology of the Mekel product line sets the

standard in our industry today. The units deliver quality

and efficiency that go well beyond the descriptions and

specifications highlighted in the MACH-series literature.

Following side-by-side demonstrations of a Mekel and

a competitive unit in purchase evaluations, buyers most

often remark on Mekel’s ease of use and fast scan time

from roll-in-hand to delivered image.

The MACH-series microfilm product line includes the

following scanners. Each scanner uses a focused LED

light source, runs on QuantumScan and QuantumPro-

cess software, creates quality bitonal and grayscale

images from microfilm in various states of composition

and scans up to 1,000 footin-

dividual rolls.

MACH5

Digitizes up to 700 images

per minute at 200 dpi*

MACH10

Digitizes up to 1400 images

per minute at 200 dpi*

MACH12

Specifically designed for production volume archival

scanning, this unit scans to FADGI, Library of Congress,

Metamorphoze, NARA and NDNP preservation specifi-

cations for both 16mm and 35mm film

*MACH 5 and 10 have a true optical dpi range of 100-600; speeds vary depending on dpi. The MACH12 can exceed 600 dpi resolution.

It’s worth noting that the units require no re-loading and

no re-scanning and offer 100% accurate image capture.

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This allows for minimal time out of storage; the

microfilm is scanned once and returned to the owner’s

inventory. Additionally, the scanners are driven by an

external PC which is viewed as a competitive advan-

tage (see “Reliability”).

The MACH-series product line also includes these

microfiche scanners:

MACH6

Digitizes 100 images per minute

MACH7

Digitizes up to 200 images per minute

In addition to the high-resolution camera used for im-

age capture, Mekel’s fiche scanners employ a separate

prescan and title bar camera used for image location.

With this unique configuration, the scanners skip the

blank spaces on a fiche that is not full, allowing for a

speed not seen in competitive units. As a bonus, these

microfiche scanners have an optional load-arm that

allows for the scanning of aperture cards.

Both the microfilm and microfiche scanners can create

bitonal and grayscale images simultaneously without

impacting speed.

Productivity Improvements

Several imaging operations that use the Mekel

Technology scanners are benefiting from the

advanced technology.

Ryan Candela, Project Manager with Mountain States

Imaging notes, “We had previously used Wicks &

Wilson and nextScan equipment for quite some time.

When we received a large fiche and film conversion

contract, it was obvious that our present equipment

would not meet the requirements. Two factors led us to

select Mekel Technology scanners for this project: the

ease of use and the almost non-existent learning curve

for our employees.” He continues, “When we factored

that in with the power of the Quantum software, it was

an easy decision. We were up and running in thirty

minutes and employ six people scanning ten to twelve

hours a day – effortlessly.”

Another services company, ImageSource, Inc., had

very similar comments and experiences. Conversion

Service Manager Ryan Ivie recollects, “We landed a

very large roll film conversion job. The scanner we

were using to convert fiche and roll film was outdated

and would not have enabled us to meet the deadline.

We had to look for replacement scanners that could

keep up with production output requirements.”

As part of the search, says Ivie, “We contacted numer-

ous vendors asking for on-site scanner demonstra-

tions. The Crowley Company was the only vendor that

could provide a demonstration unit in a timely manner

and delivered a MACH10. Once we had the equipment,

Crowley allowed us to use the scanner for a week.

After that week, we were sold. The learning curve was

very short and it was easy for our temporary staff and

floor supervisors to operate the scanner.”

It’s not just service bureaus that are choosing the

MACH-series over competitors. Timothy Baker, Act-

ing State Archivist for the Maryland State Archives, is

responsible for a department that has been microfilm-

ing and scanning for decades. Baker notes, “At MSA,

we believe we are in the forefront of digitizing records

and making them available online. Unlike many states,

we have an enormous microfilm collection because

our central archives are responsible for state, county

and municipal records. We have over 300,000 rolls of

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microfilm. We had used Wicks & Wilson and nextScan

scanners for several years but switched to the

Mekel scanners several years ago because they could

handle all our requirements, especially duplex film in

cine mode. We have found the throughput better and

our quality control process improved with the Quantum

processing software.”

The Quantum Difference

When discussing post-processing requirements, Mekel

customers often point to Quantum software as the rea-

son they are replacing competitive scanners. Although

the MACH-series scans a “strip” or “ribbon” (the full

roll) as does its competitors, Mekel’s technology scans

the roll as small blocks of data while competitive units

digitize the entire roll as one scan. The advantage is that

Mekel’s smaller data will not negatively affect network

speed when images are scanned across the network.

Additionally, when using Quantum, an operator can be-

gin the quality control (QC) process while other rolls are

being scanned in the background.

As of this printing Ancestry.com has purchased eight

MACH5 microfilm scanners to replace twelve nextScan

units for ongoing film scanning. They also own two

MACH7 microfiche scanners.

In an Ancestry.com blogpost, Michael Murdoch, a

senior software development manager, gives a detailed

description of the benefit of Quantum scanning and

processing.

“The most interesting point here is that this process is

creating fixed-sized image strips. In the past, the scan-

ners we used would segment the frames from the film

as it scanned. In other words, the scanner created the

frames as it scanned and you were pretty much stuck

with the segmentation it gave you. But with strip scan-

ning the scanner produces fixed-sized strips and thus

defers the segmentation to a subsequent framing step

that is much more accurate in the way it identifies

frames. More importantly, by deferring the segmenta-

tion we can involve a human reviewer who can be much

more deliberate and thus more accurate in determining

how the content on the film should be framed.

You have probably never even once wished you knew

more about microfilm scanning technology. Creating 35

mm rolls of microfilm is a nearly 80-year-old technology

and microfilm scanners have been around for decades.

But if you care (deeply) about producing high-quality im-

ages, getting this part of the process right is absolutely

critical. Strip scanning is a fairly recent development,

and the work we have done the last few years to do the

stitching of strips into frames on our server farm has

been something of a minor break-through, enabling the

IPP to produce both higher volume and higher-quality

images.” [Editor’s note: stitching is a method used by

Ancestry.com; it is not a necessary procedure for Mekel

scanners]

The conversion experts at ImageSource and Mountain

States Imaging reported similar results when discussing

the Quantum software and the competitive advantage it

gave them in the marketplace.

MSI’s Candela praises, “The Quantum processing

software is incredible. On our COM fiche conversion

project, we scan 200 fiche per day, per machine on-site.

The Mekel scanners process better and faster than our

former scanners because we don’t need a server at-

With QuantumScan, the scanner automatically - and with no operator intervention - locates images on the roll and marks the boundaries with a box. QuantumProcess saves the boxes as images using operator-defined settings. A red box is an indication to the operator that the box is a different size than the average and may need to be manually adjusted.

4

tached to each machine. We are able to save scanned

images to an external drive that is transported back to

the main processing center where multiple people do

the post-processing with the Quantum software. This is

a tremendous competitive advantage for our company.”

At 270 images per standard microfiche, this equates to

an impressive 54,000 images per day per scanner.

Candela continues, “It’s very easy to use on the fly. You

get everything at once and multiple ways to correct im-

age quality if needed. Our old scanners did not have this

capability. Our scanning operator also likes not having

to go back and ‘mess’ with density. We have five people

auditing back in Colorado so that our production staff

can concentrate on efficiency. Our old nextScan units

have a delay and have to be audited as we scan. This

slows you down when working against a tight timeline.

For this project, we would have needed twice the crew

and twice the hard drive space to accomplish the same

production we get from our Mekels.”

ImageSource’s Ivie feels similarly. “The Quantum pro-

cessing software is amazing when one considers all of

the options and functionalities such as image clean-up

and being able to scan once without having to reload a

roll to make an adjustment to an image. The Quantum

software saves us time and money because we scan

once and can have multiple workstations processing

rolls in the background. With our old scanner technol-

ogy, we would have had to purchase multiple scanners

to achieve our current high output capabilities.”

Reliability

Service companies rely heavily on their hardware and

software vendors to maximize the revenue generation

capabilities and deliver projects on time and on budget.

The service providers we spoke to were all impressed

with the responsiveness and quality of the service and

technical support they received after purchasing Mekel

scanners.

Candela at MSI said, “We just recently needed scan-

ner maintenance for the first time. The tech support at

Crowley was fabulous, incredible. If we have an issue

they simply schedule an online meeting, troubleshoot

and fix it on the spot. We don’t have to send the unit

back to the factory and lose revenue and customer

goodwill when production schedules slip. Unfortunately,

the nextScan comes with its own server and hard

drive so there is no room for error. If there’s an issue,

the whole unit has to be shipped out for service. With

Mekel, the freestanding computer is an easy fix and it

reduces downtime.”

When discussing Mekel service and support, Ivie noted,

“We have come across some odd rolls of microfilm,

such as film missing blips. We contacted Crowley and

they were able to support us remotely. I’ve yet to find a

piece of film from which the Mekels can’t pull an image.

Even with the original installation there was very little

training needed because of ease of use. We have been

using the equipment for two years without any issues.”

Real ROI

The consistent performance of Mekel scanners also

translates into quantifiable savings and a proven ROI for

the imaging operations that incorporate this equipment

into their scanning conversion operations.

5

Per MSI, the MACH7 technology resulted in:• 25% more images per shift• 25% less conversion time• 25% more revenue

With MACH7 ScannersPre-MACH7 Scanners

200x 270

x 3162,000

scans/dayimages per scanscannersimages/day*

150x 270

x 3121,500

scans/dayimages per scanscannersimages/day*

MSI, which specializes in document scanning, microfilm/microfiche scanning, eDiscovery and data entry and processing, notes that “the MACH7 vacuum automation is the primary reason for increased productivity. The vacuum auto-feeders have a very low error rate, increasing efficiency and production by 25% across the board.”

* on average

Ryan Ivie at ImageSource sums it up this way, “We

would have to charge double or triple the price if we

were using our old equipment because we would have

had to purchase more scanners and add additional staff

to meet deadlines. We have also been able to cut the

cost of re-scans due to the higher quality images. We are

saving $144.00 per day, per person, since installing the

Mekel products.”

The Bottom Line

Service providers and other end-users can partner with

companies already using Mekel scanners or they can

take another look at the opportunities that await them

with microfilm scanning projects and evaluate the Mekel

microfilm scanners against the competitive products

that are on the market today.

Companies like Mountain States Imaging and

ImageSource and large in-house scanning operations

like Ancestry.com and the Maryland State Archives have

proven that their decisions to purchase Mekel microfilm

scanners have yielded better than expected results, im-

proved production efficiencies and ease of use, enjoyed

near trouble-free operation and are supported with

outstanding customer service during and after the sale.

Ed Berkowitz, sales manager for The Crowley Company,

and an experienced scanning technology professional

in the imaging industry said, “The challenge today is to

make the new microfilm scanning equipment easy to

use and to improve the post-processing of the digital

images. Our mission with Mekel Technology is to con-

tinue to set the standard by which all competitors will be

judged. I don’t say that as a sales representative, I say

it as someone who gets to see the difference in action

every day.”

Ed’s analysis of Mekel’s success in the service provider

community is validated by the companies that have

replaced competitive scanners with Mekel scanners to

improve the quality of the product they are delivering to

their customers and to do it faster, with less equipment

and with less downtime. Each factor contributes to a

robust bottom line.

About the author Bob Zagami is a senior marketing execu-

tive focusing on the ECM and RV indus-

tries. He is an international author and lec-

turer on document management systems

and is the principal consultant at IMAGAZ

by ZAGAMI. Active in AIIM (The Association for Informa-

tion and Image Management International) for over 30 years,

Zagami has received the Association’s Distinguished Service

Award, Carl E. Nelson Engineering Award, Award of Merit and

is a member of AIIM’s prestigious Company of Fellows. Zagami

also holds AIIM’s Master of Information Technologies (MIT) and

Laureate of Information Technology (LIT) for Micrographics and

Engineering Document Management Systems certifications.

He is a Certified Document Imaging Architect (CDIA+). Zagami

can be reached at 617.974.3739 or rwzagami@gmail.com

5111 Pegasus Court, Suite M, Frederick, Maryland 21704

240.215.0224 • www.thecrowleycompany.com

White paper sources:

Annual Savings using Mekel MACH-series Scanners

scanning days/month (average) savings per day/per person months = $38,016 saved per person/per year

With a typical industry technology refresh averaged at 3-5 years, this translates to an approximate $114,000 - $190,000 savings per scanner, more than paying for itself early in the cycle.

22x $144

x 12